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There was a major focus this offseason from the Philadelphia 76ers to improve their bench unit. For years the team has struggled in a major way when their starters come off the court. They finished last season ranking 28th in the NBA in bench scoring by adding just 27.2 points per game. This concerning trend looked to be continuing as the Sixers kicked off the season with a historically slow start from the second unit. Through the first three games of the season, the Sixers’ bench was outscored 103-34 by opposing second units. The 34 points they tallied (11.3 points per game) were the fewest scored through the first three games in the past 50 years, according to Kirk Goldsberry of ESPN Stats & Info. This also played a major role in the Sixers’ 0-3 start.
This level of production has shifted in the recent stretch of games. The Sixers’ bench is beginning to function in the way it was pictured and has improved in a major way. Following the previous 113-93 victory over the Pistons, in which the Sixers tallied 47 bench points (although the number is inflated due to the blowout), Doc Rivers spoke highly of the impact of the bench unit.
The head coach credited the shorthanded stretch for preparing this unit and put it, “I just think part of the reason is when all (the starters) were out they were starting. They were playing major minutes and now they have confidence. We work with them, we worked after practice today with the bench-only group trying to get spacing…they have a good chemistry together, they are starting to read each other really well.”
Shake Milton’s Play
At the top of the list of players who have impressed of late is Shake Milton. It has been an interesting career arc for Milton. He was once the prized bench piece and hyped up for one of the greatest value contracts in the NBA.
However, Milton saw himself on the outside looking in of the rotation to start the season. He did not see any time on the court in four of the first five games and was on the court for just 6:13 in his lone opportunity.
Since this time he has broken out and used his expanded opportunity as a springboard for his play. His back-to-back performances against the Magic in which he fell just one rebound short of a triple-double. Milton averaged 20.6 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 43.2% on three-point attempts during the eight-game stretch he played without Tyrese Maxey and James Harden.
Rivers gave credit to Milton for playing more direct in his game as well as contributing outside of his scoring ability. As the head coach put it following his near triple-double against the Magic, “He was great. Good decision-making. Best I’ve seen him pass, ever. He’s always been a scorer, but right now, Shake’s doing more. He made two defensive plays, got his hands on the ball, and got a steal, a tie-up, rebounding the ball and making the right decisions. It’s really great to see,” per Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated. The head coach also confirmed that he had earned a permanent role within the rotation moving forward.
Backup Center Battle
Another key storyline within the bench unit is the battle for the backup center job. Paul Reed looked to have the inside track on the job to start the season, but things have shifted during the recent homestand. Montrezl Harrell has gotten the primary backup center minutes of late with Reed not getting more than six minutes of play in any of the games during the recent homestand.
Harrell has shown some signs of life for the first time in a Sixers uniform and played some positive basketball of late. The former Sixth Man of the Year trailed only Georges Niang in bench scoring by adding 10 points in the recent victory. He has flashed some solid chemistry alongside Harden and his creation ability with the ball has provided a solid offensive punch.
One area where Harrell’s weakness has been clear is in his rebounding ability. His 17.1% defensive rebounding percentage falls behind Reed, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and James Harden on the Sixers. This has not hurt the team thus far but will be something to watch moving forward. Harrell’s 6’7″ frame makes him undersized for the position and, while he has shown some renewed burst of late, he does not have the verticality to make up for this. Reed and Harrell’s fight for the backup center role will be one to watch moving forward.
Regardless, the Sixers bench has produced in a way the team has been excited by of late. With Maxey set to make his return soon, the rotation will begin to take full shape once again. Hopefully, these rotational players can keep up the production when this proves to be the case.
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